A Running Leap
by Akara Suzuki
Summary: I tried to run away from my problems like I always had, but this time I didn't work. I was almost the best at it too. It was so close I could taste it, until I ran into him. Everything I knew and hoped was slowly torn apart at first. He had ruined everything for me. Nothing would ever be the same again and the only person I had to blame was him when it came crashing down.
1. Chapter 1: It All Falls Apart

It's been a while since I have been on this site. Around two years if I am correct. This story is one that I started a long time ago. It was under the same name and was around 10 or so chapters if I recall it right. But here it is as a second go around. It will not be the same as I originally planned, but maybe that's a good thing. Who really knows?

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Chapter 1: It All Falls Apart

It was simple. Focus on taking in breaths. In. Out. In again. That's all there was to it. The familiar, burning sensation blossomed in my legs. Ignore it. Push on. Breathing was all that mattered. In and out. Getting needed oxygen into my body. Rhythmic thumps as my feet hit the ground. Pain didn't matter if you didn't let it get to you. Then, it all melted away. Aches in legs were forgotten, burning lungs felt clean and soothed, arms could feel blood pumping into them again. Green went past me as I finally began to take in the scene around me. Paved sidewalk made its usual reverberations in my legs as my feet hit it with the weight of my body before pushing off just as quickly. I had passed the worst part. I beat the worst part. The beginning. Now, I just had to keep going.

Everything needed to blur away. I needed to focus. I could go further. I knew I was capable of going farther. If I just let myself go, I knew I could go much farther than I would if I focused on it. That's what held you back. Your head. It was your worst enemy. I had to get back to where I had been. If that was even possible. Twinges of pain would still occasionally bother me, at least the physical pain. The mental pain never went away. Not completely that was. I fumbled over my own feet as my mind got the best of me. Dammit, I was not letting this get the best of me. It had controlled my life for too long. Hours had felt like days, days like weeks, weeks…. Weeks felt like months that were plainly unbearable. I had waited and waited and waited. I had never stopped hoping that things would change, go back to the way they used to be. They wouldn't, I knew they wouldn't. It was foolish to think that they would.

My feet stumbled again bringing me to the ground. I heard the sob come out of my lips before I even knew it was going to happen. Wetness hit the tops of my hands as hot tears. I didn't want to cry, it was weak. Or that's what had been endlessly pounded into my head in the previous months. As hard as I tried, I couldn't get them to stop. It felt as if a river was running down my face. A hot river filled with the shame and guilt that had built up inside of me over months. Sobs continued to rip from my throat as I pounded the ground with my fist. This wasn't what I signed up for. None of this had happened according to my decisions. Everything had been taken out of my hands for others to decide and my life had been the one that had taken the harsh blows. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. The same familiar ghost of pain and loneliness settled in my stomach. That was what finally broke it for me.

I let my forehead fall to the pavement as the tears decided to roll quietly down my face just as quickly as before. The battle had been completed and I was not the victor. After fighting for months, I could no longer hold it inside of me. The sobs had turned into small, child-like cries as I lost the energy to hold back the pain. Curling my hands into my hair, loosening the elastic's hold, I tried to pull it together to no avail. My eyes only took in the grey pavement under me. There was no reason to worry about someone coming up behind me as I had my break down. This path was rarely used anymore. It was old and forgotten, abandoned by the ones who used to use it daily. As I watched the tears puddle onto the path below me, it was almost like I felt sorry for the running trail for a moment. It had done nothing wrong. Simply been there, but it had still been abandoned. Being a simple object, it got off of the guilt train easily. It couldn't use the way things had turned out, the decisions it had made in quick response, as a reason to hate itself. I, on the other hand, oh how I did.

Black self-hatred had slowly started to make a tiny place in my heart. Over time it had grew and grew until now, almost nothing had been untouched by it. I loathed myself. Whenever that oh so familiar feeling washed over my stomach, it made me physically ill to think of what a sick person I had become. It had been selfish, disgustingly inhuman, but I had went through with it anyways. At the time, it was the best solution. How wrong I had been. If I had only listened to those around me. Now everything was gone. All melted away due to foolish mistakes and rash decisions. I had been a coward. A fucking hardheaded coward who had ran away from what was before me and not taken the advice of those before me. If only I had listened maybe things would have been a little better than they were now. Maybe I wouldn't be on my knees on a running trail in the back of a park with my forehead to the ground sobbing like a child without his mother, but I had not been that lucky or that smart.

I needed to accept the fact that it was all over. There was no restart, no looking back, no second chance. It was over and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. When everything had crashed down, I hadn't even known. No one really had. There was always that slight hope that things would go back to the way they were, but we had all known they wouldn't. Denial had caused me to be in this place, laying on the ground helpless, and it was time to face the facts. But facing the facts meant accepting what I had never seen coming. The simple thought made more tears escape my now tightly closed eyes. I couldn't. I wouldn't. I didn't want to let go. It would kill me. If what I had been feeling before had almost drawn me over the edge, this definitely would. There would be nothing else to keep going for. My fate was sealed. I knew there was no way out. At least I could allow myself one last hopeful cry as I let it all slip away.

The tears ran freely down my face. There was no reason to hold them back, they would have found their way out eventually. Somewhere the sobs found a way to continue ripping through my chest and throat. Every time I would get close to cutting off the tears, the thought would echo through my head that it was all over. Then the cycle would start all over again.

I don't know how long I laid there on the ground sobbing and even screaming out my pain until I felt the warm hand on my shoulder. At first I was startled. No one was ever back here. Then, the voice that belonged to the hand spoke quietly to me.

"Akane, I think it's time for you to come home now," the voice said calmly. I picked my head up off of the ground and turned to look at the person standing behind me. His gentle smile settled me slightly. "Come now, let's get you back," he said with an encouraging smile and a gentle squeeze to my shoulder.

Nodding slightly, I stood on shaky legs. He kept a hand on me to make sure I was stable. Looking at him, I couldn't help but hate myself even more. I knew I shouldn't have, but I did it anyways. Hugging him around the waist, I hid my head in his neck and cried more. He didn't comfort me with words, but he patted the back of my head in such a nurturing way that it broke me into even more pieces as we stood there. Him holding me up as if to keep me from drowning in my own tears as the trees whispered quietly in the wind.


	2. Chapter 2: The Beginning of the Beginnin

Chapter 2: The Beginning of the Beginning

"Akane! We are going to be late if you don't wake up already!" my mother said through my door. She had the kindest voice, but she could somehow still manage to make demands just as well as someone with a harsh voice. All I wanted to do was turn over in bed and go back to sleep. I was still exhausted from yesterday, but I had agreed to go with her. Doe eyes or not, I should have said no.

"Akane! I don't hear any moving in there!" she yelled down the hallway. Cringing, I pulled myself out of the bed. When my feet touched the ground, I let out a small hiss. The floor was freezing. The whole house was cold actually. Fall was giving up its hold and winter had taken a firm grasp on the air. I made a mental note to grab an extra blanket for my bed and convince mom to turn on the heat. That was always a battle.

Standing up completely, I made my way over to my closet. There wasn't really a reason to look to fancy. Mom's friends knew me. I was really only going with her because she had asked me to. Something about everyone else in the house being gone and her not wanting to go along. But I was invested, so I had to go. Digging through the closet to find something wasn't that hard. Just a simple white button up which I thought was pretty comfy and jeans. A t-shirt would have been preferred, but I knew mom liked to always leave good impressions, friends or not.

Tripping over the multiple abandoned items on my floor in my groggy state, I eventually made it to the bathroom. The mirror only confirmed what I had been worried about. There were huge bags under my eyes, my hair was a disgusting mess of tangles, and I had a line of drool down my chin. It was disgusting.

After laying my clothes down on the counter and pulling my disgusting mouth guard out, which wasn't pretty or painless, I tried to shower quickly. It wouldn't have been such an issue if my hair hadn't been such a mess or so long. Throughout my adventure of trying to make my hair slightly manageable, I could hear my mother banging around loudly in the kitchen. She was singing to herself in possibly the cutest way possible. It was a love song that I had heard my entire life, but she still loved it. I didn't think it was possible for her to ever get tired of it. At least she had a reason to be singing it today.

Smiling due to my mother's obvious bliss, I scrubbed my skin until it was fresh and pink. Looking at my legs, I saw that they only had short hairs on them. Nothing too serious. It was getting colder so long pants would be more common. Waiting to shave for a few days wouldn't be too frowned upon. Just as long as no one stared too close for too long.

I cut the water off quickly as soon as I was done rinsing off. It had taken more time than I had expected to fix my hair. Hopping out as I dried myself at the same time, I tried to not lose my balance. No unnecessary bruises were needed this morning. With now dry skin, my clothes slipped on easily. On a whim, I tucked in my shirt. It would show off my waist as my mother always told me. I would always wonder what waist she was talking about. She knew I was practically a board.

Just as I was getting ready to blow dry my hair, I heard my mother's light knock on the door. "Yes, mom?" I said not very clearly as I tried to plug up the blow dryer with one hand and brush my teeth with the other. If I had another hand, I would have used it to grab my nearly forgotten chap stick on the counter and shove it into my pocket. I didn't want to leave it.

"I made some quick breakfast. Nothing special. Just something to hold us over before we get to the restaurant," she said pleasantly.

"Okay, I'll be out in a minute!" I replied a little too loudly in an attempt to be heard over the now powered on blow dryer. Her laughed trickled through the door as she walked away. God, she was so happy. Happier than usual that was, which I really hadn't known was possible.

I vaguely thought about putting a small amount of makeup for the day. A little mascara wasn't too pushing it too far. Just enough to look good, but not too flashy. And anyways, mascara made my eyes pop, which I did enjoy.

Deeming myself presentable for the public, I went to the kitchen to find my mother. Like I had assumed, she was sitting at the table drinking her coffee with a book in hand. It was a scene I had seen almost every morning of my life. When she heard my steps, she gently laid the ribbon bookmark into her page and stood. Her smile was contagious.

"You ready?" she asked kindly. I could see the excitement rolling off of her.

"Let me eat real quick." It took me no time to shovel down the deliciously salty rice she had made. I was a simple breakfast person. Nothing really caught my eyes. Plus, I had never liked the too full feeling you would get after eating a large breakfast. Small bars and snacks were my forte when it came to early morning meals. Nothing too heavy that would make me feel sluggish for the entirety of the morning. Yet, my mother always seemed to make something I loved. Rice with lots of salt was one of my favorites. There was no real nutritional value, but that didn't really matter.

"Done," I stated putting the now empty bowl on the table. "Let's get rolling."

The walk was a pleasant one. Yes, it was a bit nippy out when the wind blew towards us, but nothing a small coat couldn't handle. I couldn't keep myself from glancing over at my mother out of the corner of my eye. She was practically bouncing with joy. She may have been mistaken for a little girl as giddy as she was if it wasn't for her exquisite figure and the way her skirt hugged her hips like a glove. Even her heels shouted sexy woman. The way her dark hair naturally fell in a straight curtain with no work at all.

I envied her looks. She looked so feminine. Even more so standing next to me. Everything about her was curves and soft edges. I was the exact opposite. Hard lines, nothing soft, and just tall enough to be scared of getting any taller. I wasn't a giant or anything. I just didn't like being as tall as I was. It made me even more stick straight. Everything seemed to far spread, it there wasn't enough soft to cover all the hard there was to hide. Sighing, I knew there was no use in thinking about it. All the running I did, there was no way I would gain any 'soft' until I was done. Everything I ate was turned into fuel, burnt off before it could even think about hibernating away on my hips or chest.

Licking my lips as I was off in thought, I realized how dry my lips were. Digging in my pocket, I found the mint chap stick I had tucked there early. At a young age I had developed a horrible habit of using the stuff too often. I knew I used it too much and that they companies probably put things in it to dry out your lips, but I liked it. The tingle that it left on my lips was what had kept me using the stuff.

"…..heard it was going well. What do you think?"

Turning my head, I looked at my mother in confusion. "What? I was… thinking. Sorry."

"It's fine, sweetie. I was saying that I had heard from someone in the office that your track team was going very well. You never tell me much about it." I could tell she was upset. I honestly didn't tell her much about track. There never seemed to be a good time to bring it up. Plus, with this being my last year at school, there was really no reason to make a big deal about it now. My mother was usually quite busy with her job, so she had never been too involved in my activities after school. It didn't really bother me. Whenever I did think about telling her something about the team's progress, I would feel guilt flow through me. I didn't want to make her feel bad about not being able to come to the meets where she was so busy with work. Therefore, I tried to keep the talk to a minimum. Then there was the fact that track was nothing special. The season would start when spring rolled around, and that would be the end of it for me once the school year pulled itself to a finish. Maybe I could get a scholarship with it, but that wasn't very likely. I would have to work my ass off, literally, to make the cut for that. With that said, I didn't even know what I wanted to go to college for. I had never really put much thought into what I wanted to be these past few years. All my thoughts had been centered on beating the next goal I had set for myself and training until I couldn't take it anymore.

"It's going pretty well. Haku is finally ready to take over next year. He's only a sophomore, but he has the most potential. We can probably get pretty far this year. That is if everyone pulls their weight, doesn't slack off, and comes to practice." ' _Which isn't likely to happen….'_ I added to myself.

"Well that sounds great, Akane. I'm sure your team will do great this year. Maybe I can even come watch you some this year," my mother said with the happiness still seeping into everything she said. It was like she was drunk on the stuff.

Before I could think of something else to say, we were already at the restaurant. You could smell something being cooked inside. Breathing in, I sighed.

"Don't stand there! Come on!" My mother was waving me over from within the door. Following the delicious smell, I looked around the small restaurant. Nothing had changed since I was a child. There was the counter top right in front of where Mr. Yuki cooked. The blue chairs at the counter which matched the blue chairs that sat with the other tables in the diner. The door on the left side going up to the top floor with the blue curtain. It smelled the same too. I could never imagine it smelling any other way.

"Rei! Girl, I'm so excited to see you!"

"Yuki! I missed you!"

The general conversation blurred as my mother was pulled away by Mrs. Yuki to who knows where upstairs. Taking my coat off and hanging it on the rack near the door I noticed that there was no one else in the diner today. Once every few months, the couple would take a day to rest and clean the finer parts of the diner that were sometimes overlooked as day to day work was carried out. That day must be today seeing the lack of customers milling around. That also meant Mr. Yuki cooked up a lot of food that he knew needed to be fixed. With that said, I was more than okay with sitting down here to… keep him company.

"Hey, Akane, your mother seems happier than usual today. Have anything to do with last weekend's dealings?" Mr. Yuki said to me with a huge smile. His black hair was starting to get grey around the edges. The usual dad look.

"Maybe. I mean, her and dad have been together for years. I guess now finally getting around to marriage is nothing surprising, but it is nice to see her happy," I said with a smile. After being together for years, the two had finally gotten married. It had been a very sudden thing. They had come home one evening declaring that the next weekend. The ceremony had been simple yet breathtaking. Mother had been gorgeous in a simple beige dress with father in a casual suit. It had suited them well. Ever since, both of them had been the epitome of joy.

I had never really understood why they had put it off for so long. I didn't really know or care. The marriage really wouldn't change anything. They already acted like a married couple without the legal bonding behind it. Yet, the change had made my mother very happy. So I wasn't complaining.

"I would say! I've always seen your parents together. I even forgot they weren't married already until the wife told me about it," he said with a sly grin. Rummaging around behind the counter for a few minutes, he seemed to straighten things up while making odd faces. "Well," he said after one rather distasteful glance under the counter, "I've got to run and get some things from the store. Everything should be fine here. There's some food behind the counter, help yourself." With that said, he pulled off his hat and apron and left. The sudden quiet of the shop was calming. I could hear the coffee pot making a fresh batch of coffee and smell the delightfully seasoned food that was sitting on the counter.

Sighing, I decided that I would take a cup of coffee. Going behind the counter, I slowly made my coffee meet my standards. As I stirred cream into the dark liquid, I could hear the giggles of the two women upstairs. In the back of my mind, I wondered where the daughter of my mother's friend was. I knew she was out of high school. Definitely in college, but wouldn't she come back for the weekend on occasion? Maybe she was working on a project. Finally focusing back on my coffee, I took a test sip. I almost gagged at the bitter flavor. I had forgotten the sugar. After fixing my horrible mistake, I stood there for a moment.

There were pictures taped to the wall beside of the coffee pot. There was the couple in their younger days, their small daughter, what looked like a picture of the day they bought the two floor building that they now lived and worked from. It brought a smile to my face. I could only hope that one day I would find the happiness they had.

I must have not heard the door open as I was engrossed in the photos. Was Mr. Yuki back that early? It didn't matter. I continued to look at the pictures. That was until I heard more than one pair of feet….

The diner was closed today. There was even a sign on the door that stated that.

"Hey, Kurama, the hell are you doing here? Better not be trying to get some moves in on Keiko!" a masculine voice said from behind me with a laugh. 'Kurama? Who the heck is that?' I thought to myself. Had someone else slipped in before I had heard these extra pair of feet that now paced towards me? "Kurama? You hard of hearing or something? Koenma has been looking for you. Something about a few lower levels roaming the forest." 'What the hell does that mean?' I wondered.

Before I could think of an answer, a hand landed on my shoulder. "Hey, Kurama?" the voice said. Turning quickly, I looked at the person who had touched me. He had black hair that was greased back and his fashion sense was awful. Green with plaid… and orange? No. Absolutely not. "Who the hell are you?" he asked looking at me. That was when I recognized him from one of the photos. He was Keiko's boyfriend or was it fiancé? I wasn't entirely sure.

"Hanamura…" I said slowly. Looking behind him, I saw a taller man with orange hair. He was dressed rather well. Jeans and a black t-shirt. Better than Keiko's… thing was.

"Urameshi," the taller man said, "he sure does look a lot like Kurama. That's super weird, man." He was looking me up and down. I gaped at his comment. He. _He?_ I was definitely not a HE. I was a SHE, which was certain.

"I'm a girl, thank you very much," I spit back to the taller man rather sourly. I couldn't help it being as offended as I was. Great blow to the self-esteem too.

"Oh… OH. I'm sorry, Hanamura, was it? I'm Kuwabara, Kazuma, a friend of Keiko's," he said with clear guilt in his voice.

"Kuwabara, don't go around telling people things they don't need to know," the man I assumed who was named Urameshi said with a tinge of anger in his voice.

"It's just my name, Urameshi, god. What do you think she is going to do? Tell people my name? Jeez," Kuwabara said while rolling his eyes. "Anyways," he said turning back to me. "Do you know where Keiko is?"

I shook my head a little nervously. These two were making me nervous. Sure they didn't seem like trouble. They knew Keiko anyways. But why had Urameshi been so uneasy around me? Kuwabara had just told me his name that wasn't a crime.

"See, there's your answer Urameshi. Let's just get a roll on," Kuwabara said with a grunt at the end. Urameshi narrowed his eyes. I could tell he was watching me intently. So much so that it was like I could feel the skin on my neck crawling with electricity.

"No. We can wait here. She said she would be home later today. I'm sure she won't be long," he replied narrowing his eyes even more as he continued to look at me. Then, it vanished. "Plus the old man has a ton of food made. No need to let that go to waste."

Before I knew what was happening, Urameshi was right beside of me grabbing a plate. As he was piling it full of food, I couldn't help but be horribly confused. Who was the Kurama they kept talking about? Why had they thought I was him? They had said we looked alike…

I jumped as I felt a warm hand hit my shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry about him. He's just a grumpy jerk," Kuwabara said quietly to me. He seemed like such a nice person. Why was he hanging out with, as he had put it, such a jerk as Urameshi? I couldn't help but watch as he ate gluttonously with no manners at all at the counter, spreading crumbs everywhere. Then another thought hit me.

"What did he mean by apparition?" I wondered. As soon as I thought it, I realized that it hadn't been a thought. It had come out of my mouth. I practically heard the snaps as Urameshi and Kuwabara jerked their heads up to look at me. I instantly regretted my big mouth.

A sly grin practically cracked across Urameshi's face. Shit. I had messed up really bad. "Now now now. Look what we have here," he said with an insane grin. He suddenly looked very predatory. "We can't have such things… getting around now, can we?"

"Urameshi, stop. You said it. Don't go on blaming her," Kuwabara said in a rather defensive tone.

"Kuwabara, we can't just let her go on," he snapped.

"Being cruel is the shrimp's job. Just cut it out. You're being an ass."

"Well he's not here right now, so I might as well take up his role."

"But you started this. She hasn't done a thing to either of us! She was just standing there! You had to open your stupid mouth!"

The two argued back and forth about what to do. I felt trapped like an animal in a corner. There was no way around Kuwabara. He seemed to take up all the space behind the counter. The other side went straight to the wall. I couldn't jump it, the counter was too tall for that. There was no way out. I was at their mercy. My mother and Mrs. Yuki weren't coming downstairs for what would be a long time and who knew how long Mr. Yuki would be gone.

I was in the middle of trying to make a plan when my thoughts were penetrated by my name being spoken. "Okay, Hanamura. How does this sound? You, my friend, and I all go on a nice pleasant walk. Maybe meet up with another one of my friends. Then, we come right back here." Urameshi said.

This did not sound good at all. Not a bit. If I went with them, I knew there was no definite reassurance that I would actually come back here. Yes, it was light outside and I might be able to outrun them and there were bound to be other people outside, but there was still fear buried deep in my chest.

"You got an answer?" he said with distaste coming from his words.

I didn't know my saving grace had arrived until I heard a throat being cleared behind Urameshi's back.

"Yusuke Urameshi, what do you think you are doing?" a feminine voice said in a scolding manner. Also as if talking to a child. All violence drained from Urameshi's face.

Turning around, he actually looked rather sheepish. "Hey, Keiko. Good to see you got home safe, babe."

Keiko. She had arrived right on time. I was saved. She must have saw me at the same time as I saw her. "Yusuke! That is a family friend! How dare you act so rude to her!" Pushing past Urameshi with what looked like a simple shove, Keiko came over to me. Kuwabara moved out of her way no questions asked. Relief washed over me as she laid a hand gently on my shoulder, leading me around the counter to a chair. "Now, Akane," she said soothingly, "Tell me what these rude boys have done to you."

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Okay, that's the end of this chapter. I am pretty proud of the length. I would like most chapters to be this length. The first chapter was very short compared to this, but it was supposed to be like that. It will eventually tie in. Why Akane calls them the Yuki instead of Yukimura will also be explained.

On another note, I am looking for anyone who is willing to be a beta reader for me. It would be delightful to find someone to help me. Hopefully I can get a new chapter up with a week or so. School is starting back, I can't be sure.

Please review and tell me your thoughts!


	3. Chapter 3: A Mother's Love

Chapter 3: A Mother's Love

"Tell me what these rude boys have done to you," Keiko said with a stern look in my face. Taking account of the expression on Urameshi's face, I did not have a good choice ahead of me. I had the option to tell Keiko about his extremely odd behavior, or to tell her nothing at all. I went with the option that seemed the safest.

"Oh, it was nothing, Keiko," I said trying to sound as joyful as possible. "They were just asking where you were at! Your dad left a few minutes ago and our mothers are upstairs, so it was just me down here and they were curious." I smiled at the end as genuinely as I could pull out of myself. It was hard to keep myself from looking at Urameshi to see how he felt about my story. I could only hope he was happy with it.

Instantly, I could tell Keiko had caught me in my lie. Her eyebrows creased in disbelief. As quickly as the disbelief had shown itself on her face, it vanished to be replaced with a sweet smile and a laugh. "Well, they acted better than I thought. I'm glad," all the while she was looking at Urameshi with that same smile. It clearly wasn't a good smile due to the way his face suddenly dropped and looked almost… scared. "Since you're so worried about me, _Yusuke,_ " she said with a very pointed look, "I'm sure you would be more than fine to step outside and have a little chat."

With a rather pained look on his face, Yusuke agreed and followed Keiko outside looking like a dog with a tail between its legs. As soon as the door shut behind them, I could tell he was in trouble. Keiko was on him in an instant, pointing her finger in his face then pointing to me and once again back to Yusuke. It was clearly going to end very heatedly. Suddenly, I felt guilty. What if they broke up because of this argument?

"Hanamura," Kuwabara said gently, "don't worry about it. They fight like this all the time. Plus, Urameshi deserved it." The fact that he was trying to comfort me, a complete stranger, made me feel better about the situation.

"Would… you like something to eat?" I asked him. It was the only way I knew how to show him that I was grateful for his kind words at the moment. I also wanted to find a way to ignore the awkward situation that was now taking place outside of the restaurant. The awkward situation that I had been the direct cause of. When his face lit up, I knew I had done the right thing.

"Really? If it's not too much trouble. We're gonna eat later but a little won't hurt," Kuwabara said with a huge smile. Turning around with a smile of my own that may have been just as big as his, I grabbed a plate and started filling it.

"I hope you don't mind having a little bit of everything on here," I said without turning around. Getting a bowl, I added some of the delicious smelling soup that was simmering in front of me. I really needed to get some of that for myself.

"No problem," was his simple reply. I watched him enjoy his meal for a moment before turning around to grab my previously forgotten coffee. When some of my bangs fell into my eyes, I flicked them away in annoyance. A haircut was long overdue. I could hear Keiko and Urameshi arguing in the background, but I chose to ignore it to the best of my ability.

"So," Kuwabara sad getting my attention. Looking up at him slowly from my coffee, I raised my eyebrows as a meaning of reply as I brought the mug to my mouth, feeling the warm liquid leave a tasty trail down my throat. "Keiko said you were a family friend. I've never seen you around before. What's up with that?" I could tell he was genuinely curious. This wasn't an interrogation to try to get information out of me. Which, if Urameshi wanted to know who I was so badly, Keiko would be able to tell him.

"Well. My mother is more of the family friend. She went to school with Ms. Yuki. Yukimura, I mean," I said with a light shrug. "Sometimes she would come over to talk to her, so I was left alone to "play" with Keiko. Which really meant her occupying me for an hour or so. Nothing too important," I continued.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense," he said lightly rubbing a hand through his hair. I couldn't help but wonder how he got it to stay like that. I was vaguely tempted to ask him what product he used to keep it in place so well, whatever it was, it seemed like a really good buy. "What brings you here today then?" he asked clearly confused.

"My parents got married," I said unable to keep the smile from spreading across my face. "Mom came to tell Ms. Yukimura the good news. They've been together for years but never really got around to it." When I spoke to Kuwabara about Ms. Yuki, I had to remind myself to use her full name. As a kid, Yukimura had not been the simplest name to say for a kid with a slight speech problem. Over the years the speech problem was fixed with age, but the name for the couple stuck. "She wanted me to come with her since my father was at work and my younger brother was away at a friend's house. Mother has never been too big on going places alone," I said explaining my reason for accompanying my mother. "Plus," I added with wiggling my eyebrows, "Mr. Yukimura is cooking today. That's always a good excuse to come over."

A grin spread across his face. "That is a pretty good reason to hang out here. Everybody knows how good Mr. Yukimura's cooking is. Especially if it's free food," he said a little too loudly. He must be one of the people who got louder as they got more excited. It didn't annoy me, it actually brought a smile to my face. He was such a genuinely kind person. It was painfully obvious. "Wait. That means you have known Keiko since she was a kid? Huh. I'm surprised we haven't seen you around," he said with a questioning look on his face.

"I wasn't around that much. Only when my mom came over. And I was mostly around her feet most of the time. As I got older, she could leave me at home. Then I started my own after school things so I stopped coming all together. So yeah. I have known Keiko a while. But not very well," I admitted. "It was mostly 'go have fun while we have grownup talk' thing. So. More of an acquaintance," I said a little shyly. It wasn't that I had anything to hide. I just felt odd talking about Keiko.

I barely knew her. I remembered how she told me to call her parents Yuki instead of Yukimura because she had caught onto my speech problem. She had said it would be easy for me to say until I found it easier to confidently use larger words. There were also the occasional times she would mother me by braiding my hair and getting me juice. She was like an older cousin who you lose track of once they get older and move on and it didn't help when you did the same.

A little bit of sadness started to build in my chest. Keiko's mother had always invited me over as a kid. She said it would be good for Keiko to take care of someone. Help her for when she had her own kids. Now, I regretting how I never came over without my mother. I was too scared. The thought of Keiko not liking me or thinking I was a bother had always stopped me from going. No matter how much I had wanted to, I never had. What would things have been like if I had gone over? Would I know the guy sitting in front of me more than the little I had gathered about him? Would I know the Kurama person they had compared me to? How much different would my life be if I had only taken the time to get over my fears?

Looking out the window, I watched the couple argue. One particular sentence was loud enough to be heard through the door. "She heard too much, Keiko. I don't care who she is. We can't just let her walk away. At least let me bring her up to the temple to get… things looked at," Urameshi said in a stern voice. His words were odd, but I trusted Keiko to make the right decision. She wouldn't let him bring me into something where I could get hurt. Would she?

Hearing steps coming down the stairs, I looked over. Two different types of laughter were accompanied with the steps. It was my mother and Mrs. Yukimura. Was mother ready to leave already? "Akane!" my mother said looking over at me blushing. Nope she was definitely not ready to leave. The wine glass in her hand was apparent. "Mrs. Yukimura and I may be meeting for longer than I thought," she said happily. Giggles filled her laughter. Oh yeah. She wasn't going home for a while. My mother wasn't a heavy drinker. She only drank enough to make her rather tipsy and that was when she was in the safe eyes of her friends.

The bell on the door chiming caught my mother's short attention span. "Keiko, girl! I'm so proud of you. So beautiful and smart! And you've got a handsome man," my mother gushed as she wrapped her arms around the small form of Keiko. I couldn't help but to be embarrassed. It had been a while since mother had this much to drink.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hanamura. I've heard you finally made it official with your man too," she said accepting the hug with a smile. "It seems like you too have been married all this time."

"Keiko, that's what happens when you get old. Don't let that one run away from you though. Men, they're sly ones," mother said pointing at Urameshi after releasing Keiko. "Oh. Keiko. Your mother and I are wanting to spend more girl time together and she just so happened to tell me about a little get together you and your friends were having! Why don't you take little Aki with you? She's great at parties! She has this little trick she can do with her—" before she could finish what I knew she was going to say, I interrupted her.

I was surprised when my words came out with a slight growl, "Mom. That's not something to be talking about. Also, it's not nice to throw yourself on others." I tried to show her with the harsh look on my face that the last thing I wanted to do was go with them.

The reply I got was one I wasn't expecting. "No, Aki," Urameshi said, emphasizing the childish nickname I had since I was a child. I had to hold myself back from rolling my eyes. "We would absolutely _love_ to have you come with us," he finished with a deviant smile on his face. Great. Just great. This was exactly what I didn't need.

"See!" my mother said throwing her arms up in the air, almost spilling the small amount of red wine left in the glass. "They want you to go! Go, go, go," she said pushing me into Keiko's arms without my consent. Before I could argue, she had turned tail and was making her way up the stairs, away from the anger she knew I had boiling inside of me. "Have fun," was the last thing I heard from her as it drifted down the stairs merrily after her.

"We're gonna have a blast," Urameshi said. With the smile that was creeping onto his face, I could bet money that he might have fun, but fun would be far from my reach. This was just great.

* * *

So the story is starting develop itself now. I'm sure you've all picked up on how Akako looks by now. That is going to play a large roll later in the plot. I'm really liking the way this is going. It has started kind of slow, but it is going where I planned. Thank you all who have read my story! It means a lot to me. I would like to add a special thanks to **Zombiesunshineyura** for the favorite and follow. I'm glad you enjoy the story that much!

Please review if you have any advice. I would love feedback on how to improve my writing and maybe even thoughts on how the story should go. Until next time.


	4. Chapter 4: The Other Redhead

Chapter 4: The Other Redhead

As we walked to wherever we were going, I felt like I was marching to a funeral. A funeral in which I was escorted to against my will. Kuwabara and Keiko walked In front of me, speaking occasionally in hushed tones. All the while, Urameshi was walking behind me not saying a single word. Every step I took seemed to add even more tension to the air. I still couldn't figure out where we were going.

We had been walking for what seemed to be twenty minutes with no end in sight. It wasn't that I was tired by the physical exercise. That actually didn't bother me. Although it would have been a little better if I wasn't wearing jeans and the almost dress like shoes I had ignorantly decided were a good idea this morning. Before I knew it, I realized where we were. The train station. How far away was this place?

"I'll go get the extra ticket," Urameshi said walking past me to the ticket window. When he came back and handed the ticket to me, my jaw dropped. 

"No. I can't let you pay for this," I said shoving the ticket back at his chest and shaking my head. "That is way too much. I'll just go back and sit in the restaurant with Mr. Yuki," I said backing away. The amount that ticket had costed was out of this world. Someone as young as Urameshi had no business spending that much money on someone he didn't' know. He could be spending that on things like rent, bills, and school.

"Don't worry about the money. I have enough," he said with a crocked smile on his face. What the actual hell? What person his age was okay with spending this much money on someone they didn't even know? I knew that I something even had a hard time buying a meal at a fast food joint fir a friend, much less a train ticket that ran for this much.

"That's a crazy price! I will not let you pay for that," I said trying to have the sternest voice possible. I was not going to let this happen. "Here, take this." Digging in my pocket, I pulled out some random crumbled bills that I had mindlessly shoved there this morning. Thrusting them into Urameshi's hands, I tried to glare at him to show that I meant business.

"I don't want your money. I told you, Hanamura, I have plenty. So take the damn ticket, get on the train, and deal with it," was his reply. His stern gaze was much better than mine. I couldn't help but to feel fear in the pit of my stomach as his eyes held a horrible darkness in them. A darkness that showed the soul inside had seen a lot. Things no one should have to see. "Take. The. Ticket," he said through clenched teeth.

With my hands shaking, I reached out to take the ticket from his hand. As I grabbed the ticket, Urameshi also shoved the wad of cash back into my hand like it was a dead animal he had no intention of ever touching again. It was like he was truly disgusted at the idea of taking money from me.

The man at the ticket counter had clearly seen the interaction because he looked at me and chuckled. He must have known exactly what I was thinking when he pointed to a sign taped to the window. "NO REFUNDS. NO EXCEPTIONS. SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE." My face conjured another laugh from the man as he shrugged helplessly as to say he didn't make the rules, it was just his job to inforce them.

"Fine," I seethed. The feeling of the cash in my pocket was like a hot coal, burning into my leg with guilt. Maybe I could slip the money into Keiko's purse later. If Urameshi wouldn't take the money, I would make her take it and use it for something. The ring I had seen on her finger on the walk over meant the two probably had a place together or at least planned to move in together soon. Getting the money to Keiko would make me feel at least a little better.

The argument between Urameshi and I made things even more tense if that was even possible. Waiting for our train was absolute torture. Even the sounds of each of us breathing seemed to cause tension. When the train finally arrived, I had never felt more grateful in my life. Boarding wasn't a big deal seeing as we had no bags to bring with us.

I cringed when we finally made it to our seats. The seats were in the part of the train where you could slide the door shut to have privacy for you and your companions. It screamed money. There was no reason to get seats like these.

The train ride started out quietly. Keiko sat beside Urameshi who wrapped his arm around her shoulders. I was stuck sitting with Kuwabara, which wasn't a bad thing. I couldn't help but notice the way he made sure our knees did not touch by sliding all the way to the window.

The lull of the train made my eyelids start to flutter shut. Since I was a child, rides in moving vehicles always pulled me into a relaxed sleep. Maybe it was the repetitive, gentle movement like being rocked to sleep that would drag me into the comforting darkness. I didn't want to go to sleep, that was rude. I jerked up when my chin hit my chest. No. No going to sleep right now.

I tried to focus myself on the scenery outside. Buildings were becoming more spaced out the farther the train traveled. When we had boarded, I had read the time on my ticket. When I had saw the time the trip would take, my eyes almost popped out of my head. Two hours was a really long time to be on a train. As the train continued to speed through the world outside, the rocking of the train became more and more calming like a mother rocking a baby to sleep. Eventually, I couldn't help but to be pulled into a gentle sleep.

The sound of breaks pulled me from sleep. My neck and back felt stiff from the way I had slept. When the thing I was leaning against moved, I realized it was a person. "I'm sorry," I apologized quickly as I jerked myself up. Looking over, I saw that his face was twisted into a face that the only way to describe it was a heavily discomforted scowl. There was no telling how uncomfortable that had just made him. Thinking back to the way he had seemed adamant to keep our knees from touching earlier only made me feel even guiltier.

"Kuwabara," I said looking at him. "I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable. You could have moved. I would have been fine," I said trying to give my sincerest apology. Kuwabara seemed like a nice guy, the last thing I wanted was for him to not want to be around me. He seemed to be willing to defend me from Urameshi.

"It's fine. It was the gentlemanly thing to do anyways," he said, a smile suddenly bursting across his face. His smile was so genuine, I couldn't help but to smile myself. "Come on," he said standing up. "Urameshi doesn't like to wait."

When Kuwabara stood, I realized the train had been at a complete halt for who knows how long. Standing up quickly, I followed Kuwabara as he exited the train. Being left behind not knowing where I was.

When we stepped onto the platform, I saw that our group of four were the only people who had gotten off at this stop. Taking a breath, I was pleasantly surprised with how… clean the air around me tasted. The sound of birds chirping and the wind blowing through trees was filling the quiet background. It was beautiful.

"Yo," Urameshi said grabbing my attention from my surroundings, "we don't have time to stand here doing jack shit. Time to go." When he pointed a thumb over his shoulder almost lethargically, I saw what he meant when he said we didn't have time. Before us stood a huge staircase that seemed to have no end. They were bordered by tall trees on each side which shaded the stairs from the brunt of the sun. During the summer the shade must have been the only thing to make the trek up the stairs bearable. Being the time of the year it was, the shade made the wind even worse.

The change of the seasons made the wind have a chill to it. We must have went up in elevation quite a bit for it to be this nippy. My thin coat wasn't nearly enough. The wind might as well been blowing against my bare legs with the little protection my jeans lender me against its attack. Beside of me, Keiko was visibly shaking. Her legs were bare to the wind as it whipped up the bottom of her dress. Not to mention that her as were also exposed due to the short sleeves. She had one arm wrapped around herself and the other holding down her skirt so it wouldn't blow up. In front of us, Kuwabara and Urameshi were laughing like the wind didn't bother them in the slightest.

Taking off my coat, I draped it over Keiko's shoulders. "Here," I said. "You need it more," I continued.

"Thank you, Akane," she said with a small smile.

"No problem," I said. Straightening out my shirt and trying to tuck it in a little more, I tried to keep from shivering from the new blasts of wind. If Keiko saw that I was cold, she would make me take my coat back, no matter how cold she was herself. The wind made my hair blow everywhere and smack me in the face. Whenever some of the small strands would hit my face hard enough to sting, I gave up with it. Grabbing it in my fist, I pulled an elastic band around it from my wrist. I knew it was inevitably lumpy and overall gross to look at, but it would have to do until we got inside.

The last section of the stairs was made by us all quietly. The slight chill must have finally gotten to Kuwabara and Urameshi because they started taking the stairs at a faster rate. I vaguely thought about taking the stairs as quickly as I could so I could get to the temple that I knew must be at the top of the stairs. As we had walked farther up the stairs, there were strips of cloth hanging on trees with writing on them I could not comprehend. Whatever was worshipped here was nothing I had ever been taught about before. The multitude and way the cloths looked made me assume it was some type of religious temple or something very similar. It must be a nice place if Keiko was fine with coming.

When the top of the stairs finally came into view, I let out a sigh that I didn't know I had been holding inside of myself. Flexing my fingers in my pockets, I was excited to get inside to warm up. Keiko grabbed my elbow and practically dragged me up the rest of the stairs. The chill of her hand seeped through my shirt.

I could have never been able to imagine the temple that laid in front of me as Keiko pulled me up over the final step. Her hold on me had been the only thing that had kept me from falling onto my face.

"It's something, isn't it?" she said as she stood beside me. Her eyes held some odd form of pride in them to see my awe as I had looked at the temple. "Well, no reason to stand around in the cold," she continued. As she walked towards the temple, I couldn't help but wonder if it was real. When she finally stood at the sliding doors with one hand on them, she looked back at me. "Come on, Akane. Nothing to be scared of," she reassured with a smile.

Making my way up the four steps to the side of Keiko, I took a deep breath. Something about this place had made chills run up my spine. There was a feel to the air that made me slightly uneasy, but Keiko didn't seem to be affected in the slightest. When she went through the doors, I had no other choice but to follow.

A pleasant scent was the first thing I noticed about the room I had stepped into. Then I saw that it was more of an entrance. Hallways branched off in three directions, forward, right, and left. Slipping my shoes off like Keiko had before me, I hurried as to not be left behind. As we walked, I pulled my hair from the elastic and tried to brush it out with my fingers as much as possible. It might be a little poofy, but that was better than what it could have looked like. After turning left and going down a hallway past a few doors, Keiko opened a door.

Laugher immediately came to my ears. More of the delicious smell reached my nose as the door stirred the air. "Hey, there you guys are. We thought you had gotten lost," Urameshi said standing up from his place on the floor.

"It would have been better if you hadn't left us, you jerk," Keiko said. There wasn't real anger in her voice as she stepped further into the room. That's when I noticed the other eyes on me. There was a blue haired woman sitting on one of the pillows on the floor, pink eyes looking at me with clear confusion.

"Oh. Akane, introductions," Keiko motioned to the woman who was now standing. "That's Botan, a close friend of mine," she said smiling.

"Botan, that's Hanamura, Akane, a childhood friend," she gestured to me as she looked at the woman.

We both bowed at the same time. "It's nice to meet you, Botan," I said trying to sound friendly.

The confusion left Botan's face a little for a smile. "I'm Botan," she said, pulling me to her for a hug that I wasn't prepared for. "It's so nice to meet anyone who is a friend of Keiko's!" Her excited words were right in my ear. Her voice was bubbly, but not too the point of being unbearable. Releasing me from the hug, she looked at me. The confusion swam into her eyes once again, but it disappeared quickly. "I'm sure you are excited for some of Yukina's cooking. It will be ready any minute."

I was about to ask who Yukina was when I heard the door open from behind me. Turning around to see the face of the next person to join the little party, I was surprised by what I saw. They must have been just as surprised as I was.

It was like looking in a mirror. The white button up, jeans, huge green eyes, and the hair. God, the hair. I had only seen the color on myself. That unforgettable red. Even the cut was similar to mine, but this person's hair came down a little further down their back than mine did. I couldn't stop staring.

"Oh," the person spoke. The masculine voice surprised me. "This is interesting," he chuckled. When he walked towards me, it took everything in my power to not take a step backwards. "I'm sure this can all be explained by our good friend, Yusuke," he said with a wicked smile. "I," he said bowing pleasantly, "am Shuichi. But you may call me Kurama." The most mischievous smile I had ever seen before in my life spread across the face that looked so much like my own. My stomach rolled in unease as the mischievousness reached the green eyes with a cold glint.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! I hope you all continue to read as the story develops. Most of the plot is already laid out in my planning, so I don't see there being many delays in updates. I would guess around a week or two apart. I would like to eventually have a set update schedule, which may happen once I start having chapters typed up in advance.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I, personally, see Kurama as a very mischievous person. Yes, he can be kind and caring, but I also see him as very cautious and likes to pick apart people who he doesn't know.


	5. Chapter 5: Tense Crowd

Chapter 5: Tense Crowd

The chuckle that came from Kurama sent shivers down my spine. It was like nothing I had ever heard before in my life. The way his hair framed his eyes, those eyes that looked like they had seen the entire universe, made me want to run away and hide where I could only hope he would never find me. He must have noticed the discomfort I felt by the smile that crept onto his face.

"Now, there is no reason to be upset. I mean you no harm. I just find great humor in our… similarities. It isn't every day I meet someone who has the same traits as I do. Especially in this corner of the world," he said. The way his lips curled around his teeth made him look even more predatory, if that was possible. An awful, sick feeling started churning around in my stomach. What had Keiko and Urameshi gotten me into?

With his hands in his pockets, he leaned towards me. That's when the height of him dawned on me. He had a head on me and maybe a little more. "Oh, and she smells like charcoal. How odd," he smirked. The comment made my face turn red. Jerking back, I tried to make the color leave my face. As I moved, I got a whiff of him. I had to hold back a nervous chuckle.

"And you smell like roses. How odd," I replied. I almost regretted saying it when Kurama's face darkened. The apology was on the tip of my tongue when he started laughing.

"I guess that just adds more similarities to the situation," he said with the hint of laughter still coating his words.

I took his lapse in attention to get a closer look at him. He was older than me, in his 20's. Definitely no more than 25. Getting past the first daunting features, I saw that his body had more harsh lines than mine. I could see the shapes of the muscles in his arms under his button up when he moved just right. Beefy would not be the way to describe him. Lithe seemed more appropriate. I was also happy to notice that his jaw line and cheek bones were more masculine than mine.

The last thing I needed was to look exactly like a guy. While I was trying to give him a casual rundown, I could tell he was doing the same to me. My chin rose as I tried to look more certain of myself. _I'm not threatened by you._ I told myself as a pep talk.

"Kurama!" a dainty voice called from somewhere behind me. "It's good to see you could make it. Kazuma said he wasn't sure if you would be able to take time off of work. I know you've been so busy lately," the voice softened.

At the spoken words, Kurama's face changed completely. Everything that ever seemed hard or cruel suddenly turned into a face that looked as if it could only hold kindness. I was too busy searching his face to turn to see who the new comer was. There was something about this man that I wanted to know what it was.

"I was able to take a night off. It is nice to take time off to see you guys. It always seems like there is more and more time between each meeting," he said. I was perplexed by the smile that crossed his face but did not reach his eyes. Even with the new found emotions that Kurama displayed, I didn't completely trust him. There was still something off about him that made my skin buzz with unease.

 _What's going on here?_ I thought to myself.

The touch of a hand on my arm made me jump, taking me out of my whirring mind. Looking at the hand resting on my arm, I was surprised at how delicate and small it was. Like that of a small child. Following the arm to the person it belonged to, I tried to keep my face from showing surprise as I saw the girl it belonged to. The blue haired girl that stood in front of me had eyes like no one I had ever seen in my life. They couldn't be real. There was no way eyes that red existed naturally. I had only seen eyes that came slightly close in a person I meet who had albinism. But this was nothing close. The girl who stood before me had eyes that were so red a cherry couldn't compare.

Her figure was so petite. She could have been the poster face of any women's clothing line. Her body curved in just the right places and her hair looked as if she had walked right out of a salon. I couldn't help but to think of my mother when I looked at her. The only difference was her curves were gentler, not yet dramatized by motherhood. The girl and mother were even about the same height. She had to tilt her head slightly to look me in the eyes, but nothing to drastic. The top of her head came to my nose. Just like with my mother, I couldn't help to feel a twinge of jealousy for the girl's looks.

"Hello," the girl said drawing me out of my stare. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment as I realized how rude I had been. "I'm Yukina," she said with a polite bow.

Bowing back stiffly, it took me a moment to remember my own name. "Hanamura, Akane," I said rushed and quietly.

"I'm glad Keiko and Yusuke brought you along. It seems as if I have a little too much food this time and there is always a seat to be filled at my table," Yukina said. The same sad smile that had crossed Kurama's face bleed onto hers. "Come to the kitchen whenever you're ready. I know it is a lot to take in sometimes."

Everyone else in the room started to fill through a pair of paper doors on the far wall. I could hear the distinct clatter of utensils being moved around and seats being taken. The laughter and conversation that drifted from the room made me wonder how often a stranger was brought into this place. No one had seemed to be concerned or thrown off by my appearance in the slightest.

Even though no one seemed to mind, I felt as if I was invading on something special. Everyone here had obviously known one another for what seemed to be a while. Maybe I should just go. I could make it back to the station by myself easily and catch a train. The money I tried to give Urameshi would probably be enough to cover a ticket. The only way to know would be to go check.

Noticing that no one was standing with me in the room, I knew if I wanted to leave it was now or never. Everyone was occupied in the kitchen. I could slip out now and not make a fuss. Keiko could have fun with her friends. There was no need for me to be a third wheel of sorts.

Right as I was silently making my way towards the door that we had entered from, my progress was thwarted by none other than Urameshi. "Come on, Hanamura, "he said with a smile, "Want to leave the party already?" I could see that he was just begging for me to try to go. I had completely forgotten about why he had brought me here in the first place for a while. It came clearly to me now. He didn't really want me here but he did not trust me go either.

The look in his eyes warned me that I wouldn't get far if I did try to go. He would come find me and drag me right back here. "We've still got someone for you to meet," he said. The weight of his hand on my arm only enforced what his eyes had reflected earlier. I was to follow him, no questions asked until he said otherwise.

Swallowing to try to wet my mouth that had gone dry, I knew my voice would come out as a squeak if I tried to get any words out. Instead, I let a tense smile slip onto my face as Urameshi lead me to another room. As we got closer to the paper doors, the unmistakable smell of food wafted towards us. I could tell now that it was the smell I had encountered when I had first made my way into the temple. When I finally saw the table, I groaned internally.

The two must have planned it. As I took another scan over the table, I was sad to confirm my suspicions. There were only two seats left at the table that I could take but I knew which one was meant for me. Everyone else carried on with their pleasant chatter as if I wasn't dying on the inside in the same room as them. Urameshi walking me towards the place at the table only made my stomach continue to fall further down towards my feet. It was like I was trying to walk with a hundred pound weight tied to each foot. Each step was taking me closer to the face that had that terrifying smile that held an underlining predatory gleam.

"I'm so glad you have decided to join us, Hanamura," Kurama said. His eyes were drifting to the two set places at the table. One beside of Keiko and the other beside Kurama himself. When he patted his hand on the seat to motion for me to go ahead and take my seat, I couldn't help but to notice that even his hands were very feminine. They looked very soft but he had long fingers, not unpleasantly so, that nails were neatly trimmed and cuticles that looked like they had never seen a day of work in their existence. His hands and nails looked so pristine I had no doubt that they could beat mine anyway.

I couldn't help but to glance down at my own hands which looked a little dry with cuticles that looked a little bloody from where I would occasionally bite and pick at them. There was even little black hair caught on the cuff of my sleeve. No doubt from Taro. He had probably laid on my clothes before I was able to put them in the closet after they had come out of the dryer. Glancing at Kurama's sleeve, I saw that the shirt was perfectly pressed. Nothing looked out of place at all.

As I sat down, I self-consciously stuck my hands under the table where they couldn't be seen. I had never been embarrassed of my physical traits before. This was absolutely ludicrous. There as absolutely no reason to now find myself inadequate just because I happened to be around someone who looked like me… in an unsettling amount of ways. But that wasn't the point here.

"So, darling, how do you know Yusuke?" Botan asked from the other side of the table. Yukina had doled out some sukiyaki into a bowl in front of Botan that smelled heavenly. She nodded politely to Yukina in thanks and turned back to me. "I'm sure it's an interesting story," she continued with a smile.

"Well," I said, clearing my throat to speak where everyone could hear me. "We just met today. My mother and I had come to see Keiko's parents. I was watching things for Mr. Yukimura while he went to run some errands when Urameshi and Kuwabara came in. I guess they… mistook me for Kurama," the words came from me more quietly than I had wished. "They uh… said something about a Koenma and… lower levels? I don't know. But that's why I'm here, I guess. I don't even know why he decided I needed to come," I said starting to get frustrated.

I was looking down at my hands as I let the words come out of my mouth. In my mind, they made no sense but they obviously held meaning to the people I now sat with. There was no telling what they would think of me now or what they would do.

"Yusuke! How could you mistake Akane for Kurama?" the girl who introduced herself as Botan said a little too loudly. I was taken back when she had called me by my first name.

"What? They're both redheads. Not like we have many around here. Especially those who dress like such dorks. No offense, Kurama Plus, she was in the diner. So don't get on my ass, Botan," Urameshi retorted laying his hand on the table a little too harshly. I saw Yukina eye the glass that had teetered suspiciously with nervous eyes when Urameshi's hand had met the table.

"You've known each other for years. How could you not tell the difference in the two? I mean, look at her! She's clearly a girl," Botan said throwing her hand towards me, almost smacking Kurama in the face in the process.

"She was turned away from me! What do you want me to do every time I see a redhead when I'm looking for Kurama? 'Oh, I'm sorry. I need you to turn around so I can stare you in the eyes to make sure you're actually Kurama.' I was in a hurry, dammit! There are more thigs for me to do in my life than looking for Kurama. The brat is lucky I still do his dirty work," Urameshi said, angrily standing up.

"You could have at least sensed him, Yusuke. It's simple. Things are tight right now and you know Koenma is doing his best with the current situation," Botan said with her voice sounding a little less angry and a little more worried than it had been.

"Whatever. We're all too old and tired for the brat's shit anyways," Urameshi continued, shoving his chair against the table carelessly. "I'm gonna go smoke," he continued. As he exited, cigarette in hand, the door slammed behind him.

Everything in the room was silent until Kuwabara cleared his throat. "You know, Urameshi isn't wrong. We are all a little old for this. He's got the diner to help out with, Kurama has his job, and I have school. It's not all the kicks it used to be," he said looking at Botan. "But we all do what we can to make this work. I won't defend him on messing up, but these days it's so easy to. We're out of it, Botan. I don't know about everyone else, but I just want to settle down," he said quietly. The look that passed between Kuwabara and Yukina made me realize she was one of the things he wanted to settle down with.

The feeling of not belonging hit me like a boulder. There was something going on here that I was definitely not supposed to be a part of. Something that had been going on for a long time. Guilt spread all through my chest. If I would have just turned around when I heard the door open, none of this would have happened.

"Well," Keiko said from her seat. "I think we should all eat this beautiful meal that Yukina has taken her time to prepare for us and go from there. That seems like the best idea," she said. The look she gave me across the table held pity. She had clearly no expected this to happen.

"Yes, that sounds quite nice, Keiko," Kurama added from beside me.

The only noise that was made at the table for a long time was that of eating. I was glad to finally eat something. Due to the day's events, I hadn't had time to eat anything other than what mother had made for me at breakfast. The great quality of the food only made me enjoy the meal even more. As much as I would have liked it to, the meal did not make the unease in my stomach lessen.

The argument from earlier kept rolling around in my head. What had half of the things they had been saying even mean? Urameshi to sense someone. What was that all about? The whole situation made my head hurt. Urameshi had thought I needed to come because I had heard some things he didn't think I should have, but what I had just heard seemed to be even odder than the things I had heard back in the diner.

"Well," Botan said. "I guess we might as well have a talk. There is no point in putting it off for any longer," she said standing up.

"I'll clean things up here. You guys go on," Yukina said following suit.

When we all ended back in what I seemed to be the sitting room, I could see the passing of the time by the darkening of the room. I was also pleasantly surprised to see a small fire crackling in the fire place in the front of the room. It let of a nice aromatic smell as it burned. Whoever had started it had obviously known what they were doing.

Everyone had taken different places around the fire tinted room. Seeing as the couch was taken up by Botan and Keiko and the single chairs were occupied by the two males, I sat myself down on one of the floor cushions. Deciding the warm of the fire didn't seem too bad of an idea, I pulled my pillow as close as I dared to the fireplace and made sure I was could still see those in the room with me plainly.

Looks were passed between the members of the room as they settled in. Absent mindedly, I took out my mint chap stick and put on an absurd amount of layers as I watched them silently confer with one another. It also seemed as if there was a small thread on the hem of my jeans that just begged to be picked at as I waited for the conversation to start. In the end, it seemed Kurama was dubbed to be in charge to start by the slight nod of the head he gave to Botan and Kuwabara.

"I assume the best way to start this is from the beginning," Kurama said with a rather stern look on his face. I immediately knew this wasn't going to be just any story. This was going to be like nothing I had ever heard in my life.

* * *

 _There we go. I'm pretty okay with this chapter. I actually had most of it wrote out, then I went back and completely rewrote over 1,000 words of it. So here it is. It's been a while since I updated, but I'm kind of glad I let this chapter sit for a while. That let me get a better grip on what I wanted to get done in it. I can't wait until the next chapter!_

 _Also, thank you for the new follows and favorites. I'm glad to know that there are people out there who look forward to this! Please review. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!_


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